Trekking poles ?

If you are looking purely for an aid to walking, then fixed-length poles are OK. If you are looking for poles to support a shelter, then you might need adjustable-length poles unless the fixed length is luckily correct for the shelter. There are different methods of adjustment, and some are better for walkers, and some are better for skiers. I've always had ski poles, so those have always worked for me on the few times when I've used them on a dry trail.

–B.G.–

Tigoat and Gossamer Gear have poles in your desired weight range. I think also Black Diamond. Trekking poles are great. Most people will say that. They just make hiking easier. They get the weight off of your knees and help you move along easier. But I'm also sure that there are many threads here that will say it better than I. Get in tune with your poles and you'll never look back.

Would they make a noticeable difference Evan with a pack weight of 12-15 pounds?

They answer varies by individual. I used a staff for many years, and sometimes miss it. For me they are helpful once in a while. I have the GG LT4s, almost weightless. I often just carry them in one hand parallel to the ground. Also just kind of use them as trekking poles mostly to keep rhythm while hiking. Sometimes strap them to the pack. I use a tarp, so they are important for that.

IMO, I do not really need them most of the time.

It really depends on how you hike. If your like me and are overly cautious with your downhills, they will help you gain a good bit of speed as well as safety. I personally think they save my knees a bit of pain as well. I used mine quite a bit a few weeks ago, hiking down off a ridge line, to get water. They help a ton when you aren't on a trail as well.
I find them to be a nuisance in really flat sections as well.

Here is an excellent site on trekking poles that helped me tremendously when I was learning to use them:

http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/poles.htm

I have to use collapsible poles because the length I need for hiking is shorter than what is needed for my shelter. With collapsible poles, you can collapse them down and tie them to your pack when you need your hands for scrambling. I wouldn't want to try that with fixed-length poles, especially on our slide-alder slopes in the Pacific NW.

I also use my poles for exercise walking around home (with rubber tips on the points). They turn walking into a full-body exercise that works the core muscles. That's also the best way to learn to use them and to work up a good rhythm.

My poles really help my balance and have saved me from several potentially serious falls. They also take some of the pressure off my bum knee on downhills and help me maintain a better pace on uphills.

Also especially helpful in river/creek crossings (although I haven't tried this with carbon poles)

I have tried trekking poles a little, mainly just one pole

The only time I have found a trekking pole that useful is crossing rivers

Like walking around Mount Hood was much easier

Some interesting options that haven't been mentioned yet. Both C.A.M.P. and BD make fixed lengh colapsable poles.

The CAMP are called xenon, they come in 120 and 135 cm lengh 4.6 oz and 5.1 oz per pole 80$ for a pair. (135cm with snow baskets is just over 10oz on my scale)

The BD are called Ultra distance trekking pole 100, 110, 120, and 130 cm 9.2-9.7 oz per pole and $150 for the set.

They all work like an avalanch pole, a cord down the middle that synches the pole tight. When you loosen the cord they break into 3(camp) or 4(BD) sections. Camp is coming out with a slightly stronger pair sometime this year that will be 4 sections. I own the camp 135cm. I have used them for the last 6 months, I like the weight, the compact size when broken down (20cm I think), and the lack of moving parts. The BD poles look like they are a little bit more durrable than the CAMP poles but I haven't actually seen them in person so that is just a guess based on weight and images.

I don't weight the poles very heavily when walking, I more use them to catch my ballance if I am going to eat it which I have done many times with the CAMP poles they seem to be holding up very well. That might actually be harder use than the people that take weight off their knees. My other reason for purchasing these is that they pitch my SL-2 with about 4" of air gap below that in the winter I cover with a snow wall and in the fall the gap let the tent breath better.

+1 Mary D

I thought poles seemed a bit goofy at first, but these days I use even them for day hikes. Nice to have my arms moving, handy for crossing rivers, puddles, gaps, helps with my balance, and improves my pace. I usually end up with a rhythm not unlike cross country skiing on slight uphills and flatish areas.

Gives some of my leg muscles and back a break on descents- don't require so many deep bends/squats going down down.

Doesn't meet your weight req, but I've been using Outdoor Products flick lock poles, $12 a pop at Walmart and 18 oz. Not sure I trust Gossamer Gear carbon fiber poles for my weight and IMHO there don't seem to be many worthwhile options really below 16 oz anyway, so I stick with my cheapie $24 set rather than upgrade to something by Leki that would be an ounce lighter and cost 4-6 times as much.

Advantages of using poles:

My hands don't swell. I don't have a big problem with that, but I did notice.

Going up big steps is easier as I can use my upper body to lift.

Going down in general is easier with much more control.

Going down root ladders is much easier and I don't feel like I'm going to do a face plant. It is a slow ballet: reach down, plant a pole, walk to it, repeat.

My knees are okay, but my wife has a bad knee and she took to poles quickly after trying mine. Now I have to keep up!

You do get some upper body workout.

I haven't turned an ankle since using poles.

I can push wet brush, nettles and vines with stickers out of the way. Spider webs too.

Rock-hopper stream crossings are simplified and my feet stay dry. No dancing on the tip of a rock and trying to make big jumps. You can do some mini pole vaults.

Big stream crossings are much easier and safer too, IMHO.

Loose dogs show respect :)

They can prop up your pack.

They hold up my shelter.

Dale,

You forgot relocating rattlesnakes :)

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/314,3362V_Leki-CarbonLite-Aergon-Trekking-Poles-Super-Lock-Pair.html
Find a coupon online to get 20-30% off.

One set of poles you should definately look at are Fizan Compact poles. Mine weigh 166 gram each (weight given by manufacter: 158 gram) + 5 gram/basket, which means the weight for a set is around 12 oz. For adjustable poles that is pretty lightweight. They're pretty good value too, because they only cost about €55/$80 for a pair. As an added bonus, they are quite rare, so you get a relatively exclusive product.

"You forgot relocating rattlesnakes"

And detection of same. They make a great tool for probing brush along trails in low light conditions of evening/night, when rattlesnakes become more active. Seriously.

I've used them ever since I started hiking again. My boyfriend held out for a long time, but when he started having trouble with his feet, found that the poles helped on a long day. We met a couple from the Netherlands on the Wonderland Trail, they started about 4 days before we were going to finish. After day 3, the wife was ready to pack it in, because her knees hurt so bad. I loaned her my trekking poles for our last day together to Longmire. It was all downhill, and it could have been hard for her. Halfway through, she turned to me with a big grin and said, "I think I like these!". She and her husband had been using one staff each, and she found the dual poles made a big difference. I told her to keep mine and use them the rest of the way around, then mail them back to me. Got them back, no problem, and she was thrilled to be able to finish the hike.

Any way to get a pair of the Fizan Compact poles in the US?

I did see a pair not to get- bona fide Swiss Gear carbon fiber poles for $100. The locking mechanism broke as I played with them in store.

Pay the extra 10-15 bucks and get a pair of Gossamer Gear Light trek 4's. They are worth it. They are first trekking poles I have ever used and I love them. Use them on every hike. Anyway good luck.

PacerPoles. always a good thing. not quite ul, but quite ultra-tough, which is a good thing in a pole.
they've a different type of grip that to a great extent protects the wrist from nerve damage of heavy use, and lets you push harder.

poles reduce shoulder pain from the packstraps. i do not know why, but they do. a lot.

v.

All the above advantages of trekking poles are valid, and agreed upon.

I have a pair of Swiss Gear's Walmart specials and they've been great. They're certainly not UL but they're not bricks either; they've held up well for several years. I'm confident enough to use them for my shelter.

My local Walmarts don't carry those particular poles anymore – I'd get them again, but not the Outdoor Products' poles they carry now.

Here are my preferences:

For me dual poles work well when:
1-hiking with groups that go faster than I can with a single staff.
2-rough terrain, shallow streams, helping a lot on tough hills

The don't work well, or little value:
3-in brush or tall grass and ferns.
4-on easy flat terrain, (like old logging roads) and solid rock,

Staff works best for:
5-slower walks, taking more time, more relaxed hike.
6-easy, flat terrain, tall grass fields, and brush.

Consider if you need poles that collapse a lot or not. I have 3-section flip-lock type poles and would prefer more simplicity with just 2 sections or solid poles. I'm even considering some kind of scabbard or stow-as-you-go on my pack so that I don't have to carry them on the longer flat stretches.

"Any way to get a pair of the Fizan Compact poles in the US?"

There are several companies in GB that sell them (none in the US as far as I know). If you search for Fizan Compact in google.co.uk (not .com) they show up very quickly. I got mine from outdoorgb.com. They also ship to the US with relatively cheap shipping. No tracking possible once your package is outside GB however, but that was no problem for me.

I haven't really been able to test them yet, but my initial thoughts are that they're excellent value for money. The handles could be shaped a little better IMO, but the poles feel solid, have nice straps and are lightweight.

I've said this before I'm sure but this is my $0.02.

Poles are fantastic at helping with balance, transferring weight from off your legs/knees to your arms, and giving you many more miles before you start to develop pain in your ankles, knees, hips, etc. That being said I've actually moved away from them to allow for a more practical use of my umbrella and mostly because I hated how dependent I became on my poles for all those things listed above. My main dislike was how much I began to rely on them for balance. Instead of perhaps slowing down and carefully choosing my footing on trail that was very rocky I'd just clumsily blow thru it relying on the poles the whole way. They are definitely useful and definitely have their place but I go w/o.

Matthew – great observation: "Instead of perhaps slowing down and carefully choosing my footing on trail that was very rocky I'd just clumsily blow thru it relying on the poles the whole way."

Actually, I pretty much agree with your whole post- I think you pretty much hit it.